Grants and Fellowships

Doctoral students may apply for travel grants of up to $500. The grants are intended to support travel for students who are presenting their work at national conferences. To be eligible for the travel grant, the student must be the presenting author.

Up to 30 travel grants will be awarded during the academic year.

Program Details

• Travel costs will be reimbursed upon return according to standard UND procedures. Only travel costs deemed as allowable by UND will be reimbursed.
• Only one request per student will be considered each academic year.
• Notification of funding will be made within two weeks of deadlines.
• Expenses for award funds must fall within these dates:
  • Fall: August 16 through December 31
  • Spring: January 1 through May 15
  • Summer: May 16 through August 15

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants must be enrolled in a doctoral program at UND.
• Applicants must be enrolled at the time the paper is presented.
  • Students who have graduated or are on leave of absence at the time of the conference presentation are not eligible.
• Applicants must be in good academic standing.
• Applicants must be the presenting author of the work.

Apply

1. Complete the small grants application.
2. Attach a confirmation letter or email that your paper has been accepted for presentation.
3. Attach a copy of the abstract or paper that is being presented.

Deadlines

• Fall: September 15
• Spring: February 15
• Summer: May 15

Doctoral students may apply for research grants of up to $500. These grants are intended to support doctoral student research and dissertation completion.

Up to 10 research grants will be awarded each academic year.

Program Details

• Research or dissertation related costs will be reimbursed by the School of Graduate Studies after receipts have been received.
• Only one request per student will be considered each academic year.
• Notification of funding will be made within two weeks of deadlines.

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants must be enrolled in a doctoral program at UND.
• The grant may be used to support research needs such as:
  • Travel to conduct research at libraries, laboratories and other research facilities and resources.
  • Costs of information access (but not basic computing hardware/software).
  • Purchase of supplies or equipment rental (need to purchase chemicals must have the written consent of the project supervisor).
  • Remuneration of human subjects.
  • Other research related expenses, but excluding costs of producing a manuscript or travel to scholarly meetings to present research.
• Applicants must be in good academic standing.
• Expenses for award funds must fall within these dates:
  • Fall: August 16 through December 31
  • Spring: January 1 through May 15
  • Summer: May 16 through August 15

Apply

1. Complete the small grants application.
2. Attach an application letter stating what the funds will be used for and how it will help you complete your research.
3. One letter of recommendation from the committee chair.

Deadlines

• Fall: September 15
• Spring: February 15
• Summer: May 15

Doctoral students may apply for a dissertation completion fellowship. This fellowship is awarded to support doctoral students who will spend full-time on their dissertation during the semester awarded.

Program Details

• Students can only be awarded this fellowship one time.
• Applications are reviewed by members of the Graduate Committee which is made up of elected representatives from the graduate faculty and serves as the executive council of the graduate faculty.
• Preference is given to students whose research is related to the Grand Challenges set out by the strategic plan and, thus, further our success in developing a profile in those key areas.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be enrolled in a doctoral program during the semester prior to the award.
• Must not be graduating in the term the award is made.
• Must not hold a concurrent assistantship.
• Must be committed to spending full time on the doctoral dissertation for the entire semester (Summer: May 15-August 15).
• Must register for at least six (6) credits in the Session the award is made, normally in 999 (or a maximum of one class other than research or dissertation credits in unusual circumstances). A tuition waiver is generally provided by the department, please check with your advisor to confirm.
• Must have an approved Topic Proposal for the dissertation in the School of Graduate Studies.

Apply

1. Complete the fellowship application.
2. An application letter (maximum of one page single-spaced, 12-pt font) describing:
   1. Current academic status.
   2. A projected schedule for the completion of doctoral study.
   3. A statement describing how the fellowship time will be spend.
3. A statement (maximum of three pages single-spaced, 12-pt font) describing the study, including the following. Statements over three pages will not be reviewed.
   1. A description of the problem.
   2. Current knowledge relative to the problem.
   3. The significance of the proposed research.
   4. The methods to be used in the research.
   5. The anticipated results of the research.
   6. The relationship of the proposed research to one or more Grand Challenge.
4. Three letters of recommendation:
   1. One from the student’s advisor.
   2. One from a member of the student’s dissertation committee.
   3. One from the department chair or graduate program director.

Recommendation letters should include specific information about the student’s progress in the doctoral program, addressing the student’s ability to complete the study described in the research statement, specifically the methods, the anticipated outcomes and the significance of the proposed research.

Incomplete applications and applications received after the deadline will not be reviewed.

Deadline

Summer: March 1

Criteria for Selection

If there is more than one application from a department, the chairperson will rank the applications.

The Review Committee will rank the awardees based on the quality of the application, including clarity and completeness, the potential contribution to Grand Challenges, and on the qualifications of the student to complete the study. Final funding decisions are made by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

Applicants will be notified by email of the results.

This award is jointly funded by the School of Graduate Studies and the Vice President for Research & Economic Development. Doctoral students may apply for the Research and Grant Writing Experience to take place during their last semester. Recipients will spend a semester receiving training in effectively communicating and framing research for successful grant proposal writing.

Students applying for this award must have a research advisor who is working on a current grant application.

This research and grant writing experience is for one semester. Two awards of $15,000 each will awarded each academic year.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be enrolled as a doctoral student and be on track to graduate at the end of the semester awarded.
• Must have a research advisor currently working on a grant application.
• Must be enrolled in at least six (6) credits.
• Must not hold a concurrent assistantship.
• Must be able to work 20 hours per week.

Apply

1. Complete the traineeships application.
2. An application letter describing:
   1. Your dissertation progress and when you will defend your dissertation.
   2. How you will benefit from this experience and/or what you will gain from the experience.
3. One letter from your research advisor who will be supervising this position. The letter must include:
   1. What grant application will be worked on.
   2. What the student will do.
   3. How the experience will benefit both the student and the advisor.
   4. Directly address the student's progress and certainty that the student will graduate at the end of the semester.
4. One letter of recommendation from the department chair or graduate program director.

Deadlines

• Fall: July 1
• Spring: September 30

The Research to Innovation Traineeship is jointly funded by the School of Graduate Studies and the Center for Innovation. This traineeship awards professional development innovative research grants to advanced doctoral candidates as well as provides opportunities to collaborate with or create startups with a high potential for social and humanitarian impact.

There are three broad goals to this program:

1. Helping students with startup-potential research to succeed in advancing nascent technologies.
2. Funding innovative research and providing a professional development and training opportunity.
3. Creating a bridge between the academic and entrepreneurship communities that may lead to further collaboration, partnerships, innovation, and employment.

One award with a value of $10,000 will be awarded per academic year.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be an enrolled doctoral student at UND.
• Must be enrolled in at least six (6) credits.
• Must not hold a concurrent assistantship.
• Must be able to work 20 hours per week.

Apply

1. Complete the traineeship application.
2. An application letter describing how you see your research reaching beyond the lab and/or classroom. Please answer the following questions:
   1. How might you develop your research idea into a product, service or business?
   2. What problem are you hoping to address through your research and how might your product, service or business idea address the challenge outside of the lab and/or classroom.
3. One letter of recommendation from the student’s committee chair/advisor.

Deadline

• Fall: July 1
• Spring: September 30 (only available if not awarded in the fall)

The School of Graduate Studies has partnered with the City of Grand Forks to jointly fund fellowship opportunities. The fellowships will be based on a current or anticipated problem, issue, or concern set by a city agency or designated city partner. Fellowship times will vary from one semester to a full academic year.

The student will spend time working the problem, research best practice responses, proposing solutions and assisting with solution implementation whether individually under a designated city supervisor or as part of a team. The traineeship program seeks to provide hands on applied research problem solving experience to doctoral students that may also lead to future employment.

Specific fellowship details with available research areas will be posted here as well as sent out to students through the School of Graduate Studies listserv. Application requirements specific to the position will be included in the postings.

Up to two awards will be made each year. Amount of the award and the time commitment will vary by appointment.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be enrolled as a doctoral student for the entirety of the fellowship.
• Must be enrolled in at least six (6) credits.
• Must not hold a concurrent assistantship.
• Must be able to work 20 hours per week.

Apply

These are the general requirements for applying for a fellowship. Specific fellowships may have additional requirements.

1. Complete the traineeship application.
2. An application letter/cover letter describing:
   1. Current academic status and progress in the program including planned graduation date.
   2. Your interest in the fellowship.
   3. How you meet the requirements of the position.
3. A resume.
4. Three letters of recommendation; one recommendation from your advisor and two other recommendations. Requirements for the last two recommendations will be set by the sponsoring department.

Deadlines

Awards will have variable start terms which are determined by positions available. Positions will be posted no later than one month prior to the application deadlines.

The Excellence in Teaching Award will be awarded to a graduate student who demonstrates excellence in teaching and mentorship during their graduate teaching assistantship. Nominees will show promise of excellence in teaching based on some of the following:

1. Teaching effectiveness and ability to motivate students to learn.
2. Use of innovative or creative teaching techniques.
3. High standards of professionalism and collegiality.
4. Demonstrated evidence of participation in professional development as a teacher such as attending SGS or TTaDA workshops or professional teaching or research conferences.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be enrolled in a doctoral program.
• Must have served as a graduate teaching assistantship for at least 2 full semesters.
• Must be the teacher of record, a laboratory assistant, or a discussion section leader.
• Previous winners are not eligible to receive a second award.

Nomination Process

The nominating graduate director should complete the nomination form and attach all required documents. The form will then be routed to the student to have them attach their teaching statement and curriculum vitae.

From the nominating graduate director:

1. Completed nomination form.
2. A letter of nomination from the graduate program director that summarized the reason for the nomination and describes the student’s GTA position including which courses, their role and how much freedom for innovation was there.
3. A summary of student evaluations (SELFIs).
4. A direct observation report or summary completed by a faculty member.

From the student:

1. A one-page teaching statement written by the student addressing their teaching philosophy.
2. Current curriculum vitae.

The Excellence in Dissertation Writing Award will be awarded to a graduate student who produced an exceptional dissertation of outstanding quality in any field. An exceptional dissertation will be determined by:

1. The importance/impact of the subject.
2. Originality/creativity of the work.
3. Quality of the scholarship.
4. Organization of the dissertation.
5. Quality of the writing.
6. Other appropriate factors that represent excellence.

Eligibility Requirements

Doctoral degree must have been conferred in the prior calendar year (May, August, or December).

Nomination Process

1. Nomination letters from the Chair of the dissertation committee and one additional committee member.
2. Letter of support from the graduate program director.
3. An electronic copy of the dissertation will be accessed by the School of Graduate Studies.

The Excellence in Thesis Writing Award will be awarded to a graduate student who produced an exceptional master's thesis of outstanding quality in any field. An exceptional thesis will be determined by:

1. The importance/impact of the subject.
2. Originality/creativity of the work.
3. Quality of the scholarship.
4. Organization of the dissertation.
5. Quality of the writing.
6. Other appropriate factors that represent excellence.

Eligibility Requirements

Master's degree must have been conferred in the prior calendar year (May, August, or December).

Nomination Process

1. Nomination letters from the Chair of the dissertation committee and one additional committee member.
2. Letter of support from the graduate program director.
3. An electronic copy of the thesis will be accessed by the School of Graduate Studies.